


From The First Kiss

by Embarassedbutkinky



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dating, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-12-27 03:36:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18296042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Embarassedbutkinky/pseuds/Embarassedbutkinky
Summary: Between Goku's death and resurrection, Krillin and Android 18 fell in love. This is my take on how that happened. This will be a relatively short fic compared to some of my others, less that ten chapters, and it will likely be explicit.





	1. Chapter 1

For three years Krillin had felt nothing but panic. It wasn't always debilitating, he had to live day to day after all. In the back of his mind, though, he'd always doubted that he would live once the androids came.

His friends, they had a chance. They were stronger than him, most of them not even human. It made him half consider just saying forget it; he could leave the fighting to the superheroes and just watch from the sidelines like the rest of the blissfully unaware Earth. He knew he wouldn't, though. How could he do nothing? If something happened to one of them and he could have stopped it, he'd never forgive himself. So if he had to die, so be it.

It wasn't supposed to be Goku.

Goku had a wife, a son, a  _ life.  _ He would be missed. Who would have missed him if he died instead? Roshi maybe, because he lived in his house. Still. Thirty-six years old and he still lived with the master that had trained him as a child.

He should have been the one who died. He wasn't doing anything with his life anyway.

It had been a week now since Goku's death, and he told them he wasn't coming back. It felt like the Earth was running on borrowed time. Something would come again, and who would be left to defend them all?

Sleep hadn't come easy since his friend died. He laid in his modest bed, staring at the ceiling and counting the cracks in the plaster. Each one held another reason that he should be dead right now. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps until it was too late.

A thin but strong hand slapped firmly over his mouth, and he fought against it instinctively. His effort was useless, the being was far stronger than him. He could see only the dimmest silhouette in the moonlight from his window.

“What do you want from me?” Her voice snapped quietly.

He froze, recognizing the voice immediately. “ _ Aheen _ ?” He mumbled around her hand.

“Keep your voice down,” she warned, releasing him and stepping back. “What do you  _ want _ from me?”

He tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. Android Eighteen was in his bedroom. Oh gods, had he washed his dirty clothes? Did the hamper stink? Were his underpants on the floor?

“Answer me,” she snapped.

“Me? I don't want anything.”

She crossed her arms, regarding him suspiciously. “Yeah. Right.”

“Are you… robbing me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, it's like three in the morning, it's dark, you're threatening me in my bed… I mean, sorry to disappoint but I don't really have anything worth taking. If you need some money I think I have some cash I can grab you.”

“I'm not a whore.”

He balked. “What?”

“That's what you're hoping for, right? That's why you made that damn wish. You were hoping you'd get laid.”

“No!” He shook his head. “I just… you and your brother didn't deserve to be changed against your will so I thought you'd want to be changed back. That didn't work, but at least we got the bombs out of your chests.”

“So you  _ don't _ want sex?” She asked, unconvinced.

He was glad the room was so dark. His face burned. “That's not why I helped you.”

“I don't owe you  _ shit _ . Understand?”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded quickly. “Uh… if you don't mind me asking… why are you here?”

She moved closer and his heartbeat drummed loudly in his ears. The low light slid over her, allowing him to catch the bright gold hue of her hair for the first time since she spoke. That firm hand grabbed his collar and held him still against the bed. She lurched forward and her face hovered over his, still as a statue.

_ This is either the best moment of my life, or the last moment of my life.  _ He thought.  _ Maybe both. _

When her lips pressed against his the fire she'd kindled a week before blazed back to life. He felt it all again; the exciting terror of that teasing kiss on the cheek, his hesitation to kill her, his guilt for letting it cloud his judgement. Arguing for her life, begging the dragon to help her and Seventeen to be happy and human and together, before he found out it was her twin brother. She tasted like the mountains, like sharp rocks and a crisp breeze, so foreign on this island he'd lived on for decades now.

Shit. She really had him, and they'd barely spoken a hundred words to each other.

He had no way of knowing how long her mouth moved against his. He savored every second, every touch of her lips and the slide of her hair against his face, certain that at any moment the kiss would be over and he would have to sustain himself forever on this one beautiful memory. One day, when he was as old as Roshi, he would know that he once did something good enough (though who knew what that thing was) to make a woman this beautiful kiss him. That would be enough.

Then it was over. She hovered over him and he could feel her cool breath against his mouth. “I didn't owe you that,” she whispered.

“No, Ma'am,” he breathed back.

She let go of him, and turned to walk right out of his bedroom. Out of the house. Out of his life.

“Please don't go,” he felt himself say.

She paused, turning to raise a skeptical eyebrow.

“I mean, you can go, if you want. But please, come back sometime. I don't want this to be… This  _ can't _ be the last time I see you. Please.”

She frowned, shaking her head slightly. “What  _ are _ you? Why didn't you blow me up? Why did you save me from Cell?”

“I'm just human,” he promised.

“I'm not.”

“I know. Please come back. Maybe… Friday?”

“What's Friday?” She asked cautiously.

“Nothing, yet. I'll make it count. Just promise you'll come to the island when it gets dark, I'll take care of everything. I'll make a big dinner and you'll have fun.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because, otherwise I might never see you again. Please come?”

She didn't agree, but she didn't say no. She just walked wordlessly from the room, and he knew she was gone. There was a tiny hope, a small ray of light, like Yamcha had said.

She hadn't said goodbye, so maybe she would come back. He'd be ready for her this time.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Well. I think you're nuts,” Oolong said, shaking his head. “She's not even  _ human _ .”

“Said the talking pig,” Krillin grumbled slightly carrying the dining room table over his head towards the beach.

“Well I don't want to date you either,” Oolong spat back. “Maybe stick to girls your own species.”

“You hit on human girls on the time!”

“Well, yeah, but not  _ successfully _ .”

They heard the sound of slapping fins against the floor, and then Turtle popped his head out of the screen door. “Hey! Where's the table?”

Krillin blushed sheepishly. “I'm, uh, borrowing it. I asked Master Roshi. He said it's fine.”

“Heck, yeah!” Roshi called from an upstairs window. “You get that girl, Krillin! Then remember to ask if her little raven haired friend is single!”

“I will, Master!” He called back.

Oolong frowned. “Does he mean Seventeen? Isn't he a guy?”

Krillin whispered back. “Yeah, but he hasn't figured that out yet. I guess he is kind of a pretty man.”

They heard Turtle grumbling as he slapped back into the house. Krillin opened the basket he'd set out and draped a white cloth over the table, fussing with it to make both sides symmetrical.

“Well, I say your trying too hard,” Oolong continued. “Chicks don't like a guy who tries too hard. What you should do is just lay in bed naked and wait for her to show up. Then when she gets here just yell 'surprise!’ You'll either get laid or get slapped, but at least you won't look like a spineless ‘romantic’ jellyfish.”

“Just let me try it my way,” Krillin insisted. “I'm probably not getting a second date, so the first one has to be perfect.”

“Did your ex Maron like all this mushy stuff?”

“Well… no. She liked fancy dinners, but she mainly liked it when I paid.” His eyes went wide, and his sentences came faster. “Oh, gods, I should get her a gift! I didn't even think to grab one when I was in town… is it too late? No, I can make it if I fly fast. What do you think she'd like? She liked clothes, right? Yeah, I'll buy dresses. Unless you think that  _ she _ might think that _ I  _ think I'm buying sex on the first date? Not that I would ever… I don't know! What do you think?”

“I think you've lost your mind.”

“Can you just keep an eye on the chicken in the oven? I'll be back before it's dark.”

Oolong shrugged and smiled. “Sure. I've got it. Maybe you'll pull it off.”

“Actually,” Krillin said, rubbing the back of his head, “there is one more thing you could help me with…”

\--------------------

 

When the sun began to set, she still wasn't sure she was going. She hadn't really planned to go see him the last time; she just didn't have much else to do. At least tracking the strange guy down occupied her time.

In all the months she was kept in stasis, on the rare occasions she had been able to think, she had thought only of her freedom. Now she had it, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. She'd wandered for awhile, held up a store, threatened some people… it wasn't fun anymore.

She supposed she could go. Sure. Why not? Might as well see what he had planned.

The sky was fading from a deep purple into an inky blue when she flew within sight of the island. The house was mostly dark, but there was a light on the beach. She saw him waving at her as she set her feet down onto the sand.

There was a table stood firmly in the sand with two chairs. Candles were littered across the white tablecloth, lighting up the small section of the beach around them. Krillin stood next to it in a white, button down shirt and slacks with a smile painted onto his face. His eyes were wide, like he'd seen a ghost.

“Wow, I can't believe you actually… I mean, hi! It's, uh, great to see you again.”

She picked up a candle. “What is all this?”

His face fell. “Oh, gods. It's cheesy, isn't it? Uh, we don't have to do this. Do you want to go to the mainland? If I called ahead we could probably get a table somewhere--”

“No,” she shrugged, setting it down. “This is… fine.”

He smiled, trying to slide a chair out for her. It stuck in the sand and bumped the table, knocking a candle over and nearly setting the tablecloth on fire. He snatched the candle up and patted the fire out frantically.

She snorted, smiling slightly.

“Uh, damn, there's some wax on the table, but--”

“It's fine,” she repeated, slipping into the seat and gracefully scooting it in.

He sat across from her looking like a dog that had caught a car and now didn't know what to do with it. “How are...what do you…how was your day?” He asked uncertainly.

“My day? I didn't kill anyone, if that's what you mean.”

“Was that an option?”

“It used to be,” she muttered, looking at her fingernails. “Are we eating?”

“Yeah,” he nodded calling out. “Hey Oolong?”

Oolong walked backwards out of the front door carrying a covered serving tray. He balanced a bottle of wine on the tray carefully, teetering toward them.

She glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “If we're having pork, it's a little underdone.”

Oolong grumbled, but Krillin laughed. “No, I made chicken.”

“You cook?”

“Ever since Launch left, yeah,” he nodded. “Master Roshi's awful at it, and Oolong says he's a vegetarian. Thanks Oolong!”

The pig grumbled, setting the food and wine on the table and heading back inside. “Good luck, Kid,” he mumbled.

Krillin poured them both a glass of wine, spilling only a little. He dabbed the spot with a napkin and sat back down, looking a little out of sorts as they ate in silence. “Sorry,” he said finally, “I've only been on dates with one girl before, and she did all the talking. I really don't know what to say.”

“You live here with the old man and the pig?”

“And Turtle, yes.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He blinked. “Oh. I guess… I've got nowhere else to go. Master Roshi's been training me since I was a kid. It made sense to stay.”

“The other one, the one who didn't want to come back from the dead,” she said, “he was from the same school, right?”

“We were both trained in the Turtle Hermit style of martial arts.”

“He left.”

“Goku got married and had a family. If he hadn't, he probably would have stayed too. Not that he's ever home much anyway.”

“His family must not be very important if he decided to stay dead. Did he even support them before he--”

“Don’t talk bad about Goku,” Krillin said suddenly, cutting her off. His smile had faded slightly. “He was a good man. A great man, with a big heart. I was lucky enough to be his best friend.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh. I'm sorry.”

“You didn't know,” he shrugged, taking a drink. “It's just not fair, he shouldn't have been put in that position. He shouldn't have died.”

“And you think you should have?”

“I didn't say that.”

“You thought it, though. Because you should have destroyed me before Cell absorbed me. He died while Cell was using my brother and I as batteries. That makes it my fault, which makes it your fault, right?”

He shrugged. “You didn't have control over Cell.”

“Why didn't you do it? Why didn't you stop me before Cell got me?”

“You hadn't done anything. I mean, you beat up Vegeta, but he was asking for it. You didn't kill me, even though you had the chance. I was returning the favor.”

She drummed her fingers on the table. “You're a strange man.”

“I've heard that before,” he laughed nervously. “Oh! I… got you something. I hope that's okay?”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Something like what?”

“Well, I looked all over town, but I wasn't sure what you liked. A saleswoman at this boutique showed me the current styles, but I wasn't sure what size you were and I didn't want to guess wrong, so…”

He handed her a piece of paper and she unfolded it. “You drew me a picture. Of seven orange dots.”

“It’s supposed to be an IOU,” he explained. “The dragon balls aren't usable again for almost a year, but when they're available again I'll gather them for you.”

“Why would I want the dragon balls?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “I thought you could use them for your brother. I don't know if he's still alive, but if he's not the balls can bring him back. If he is, they could help you find him. It seemed like he was really important to you.”

She smiled. “He's alive. I found him.”

“Really? It's only been a few weeks, how did you--”

“We know each other very well. Twin thing. He waited for me at the Eiffel Tower. We had lunch, and then we went our separate ways. He has plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

“He wants to be a park ranger.”

Krillin laughed. “A park ranger? Will he kill anyone that litters?”

She snorted. “Maybe. He always liked nature. That's why it was hard for him when--” she stopped, pretending to be suddenly interested in her dinner.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don't know. I never really thought we'd get away.”

“There's lots of things you could do. You're a great fighter, you could make a killing without… you know, killing.”

“What do you  _ want _ ?” She asked again. “Why would you do all this?”

“Do what?”

“The dinner, the candles, the gift, what's your angle?”

“I figured, if we only had one date, I might as well pull out all the stops. If I didn't, I'd always wonder if I could have done better. What are the odds of a guy like me getting another chance like this?” He laughed, leaning against his hand. The wine had gone a bit to his head. “I hope the food was okay. I tried to make a souffle, but it came out looking like a frisbee.”

She laughed, throwing an arm over the back of her chair. “It's getting chilly.”

“Is it? It is!” He jumped, gathering up the dishes. “I've been living here so long sometimes I forget it can get cold at night. I would walk you home but, you know, you can fly. And I don't actually know where you live. I hope I get to see you again?”

She nodded. “I think you will.”

\---------------

 

Krillin's heart beat fast as he washed up the dishes, too excited to go straight to bed. He'd messed up a few times ( _ of course _ ) but she didn't seem to hate it. She might even come back, if she wasn't just being nice. Of course he had no idea how to top it. He'd have to save up next time and take her somewhere nice.

He tried to remember every detail; they would want to know how it went in the morning. He set the table back in place after he wiped it down. If he left it covered in sand Turtle would have killed him.

When he finally headed upstairs, it was actually late. He stepped inside, not even bothering to turn on the light as he pulled his dress clothes off.

“Took you long enough.” You could hear the smile in her voice.

He froze, slowly turning to see the woman waiting in his bed.


End file.
